Coffin



S. COOMBE.

(No Mode.)

GOFPIN.

No. 321,280. Patented June 30, 1885.

UNITED 'STATES Parana @rtree SAMUEL COOMBE, OF POULTNEY, VERMONT.

COFFIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,280, dated June 30,1885.

Application filed March 3D, 1885. A (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, SAMUEL Coenen, a citizen of the United States,residing at Poult` ney, in the county of Rutland and State of Vermont,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ocfns, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention has relation to coiins of that class which areconstructed of slate, marble, or other natural or artificial stone; andit consists in certain features of construction hereinafterdescribed,and specically set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective, Fig. 2 a plan, andFig. 3 atransverse section on the line X of Fig. 2, of a coffinconstructed in accordance with my invention.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the iigures.

The sides A and ends B, each of a single piece, are arranged upon thebottom C, as shown, and screws, bolts, or other suitable fasteningdevices, C', are passed through the 'bottom up Tardly into the loweredges of the sides and ends. In this instance the sides overlap theends, and the outer corners are rounded, as shown, and re-enforcingcornerpieces, l), having interior curved faces, by which they areadapted to tit the rounded corners of the sides and ends, are secured ateach of the corners of the coliin by means of screws, bolts, or othersuitable fastening devices, D', passing through the sides and ends intosaid cornenpieces.

lf desired, the ends B may overlap the sides A in the same manner as thesides are shown as overlapping the ends, in which case the same resultsare secured as by the arrangement shown.

As shown in Fig. l, the bottom C projects beyond the outer face of thesides at all points between the corner-pieces D, sothat any suitablemolding or ornamentation, A', may be arranged in the recesses thusformed at the sides and ends of the coffin; or, if desired, all of thesaid projecting portions of the bottom may be removed, as at Y, Fig. 2,and in such case the edges of the corner-pieces may be ornamented byforming them in the shape of molding, or in any other desired manner.So, also, may the faces of the cornerpieces or of the sides and ends, aswell as of the top of the coffin, be ornamented by cutting, carving, orother suitable means, if desired.

By the construction above described, the lateral pressure of the earthagainst the sides and ends of the coffin is, in regard to the first,resisted bythe pressure of the sides upon the ends at the cornerjoints,and by the interposition between the earth and said joints of theeorncrpieces; and in like manner in regard to the second-that is, theendsthe corner-pieces receive the pressure, and are 11e-enforced by thesides to prevent the inward crushing of the ends, so that great strengthis attainable while using comparatively light or thin material for thedifferent parts of the coffin, whereby excessive weight naturallyaccompanying cofns of this class is avoided.

l do not claim, broadly, separate cornerpieces; but by reason of thecomparatively thin side and end slabs l do not fasten them directly toeach other, but to other parts which are thicker, like thecorner-pieces, or, being thin, by devices which pass directly throughthe same, and away from its edges, like the bottom.

Having described my invention and its operation, what I claim is- 1. Aco'liin made of slate or its equivalent, and having a side overlappingan end at its corner, and secured to the bottom, said bottom extendingout beyond the joint thus formed and secured to a reenforcingcornerpiece, substantially as specified.

2. A coffin made of slate or its equivalent, having two of its oppositesides or ends overlapping the remaining sides or ends, all of which arerounded at the corners and provided with reenforcing corner-piecesadapted to tit the same, substantially as spccied.

3. A coiiin made of slate or its equivalent, and having a projectingbottom, re-enforcing corner-pieces, a projecting cover, and moldingarranged in the recesses at the sides and ends, substantially asspeeilied.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` SAMUEL COOMBE.

"Witnesses:

ALONZO Hnnnroit, FRED S. ILlifrr.

lOC

